Movies about summer camp have been around almost as long as summer camping, but a quick search of the Internet and straw poll of the Courier’s newsroom show it’s obvious some have endured the decades better than others to become classics.
Whether it’s coming-of-age, persevering against all odds or standing up to bullies or axe murderers, there’s a movie for everyone.
But it’s a newer movie that almost all agree is a top contender as a summer camp fave, which is where this list begins.
- Moonrise Kingdom (2012): Actor Bill Murray has the distinction of starring in both this relative newcomer to the summer camp genre as well as the first instalment of the Meatballs series of movies. In this coming-of-age movie, director/co-writer Wes Anderson teamed with screenwriter Roman Coppola to create this comedy-drama set in the 1960s. When a pair of young lovers from the New England coast runs away, it throws the adults in their life into a frenzy.
- Meatballs (1979): In this original Meatballs movie, Bill Murray plays Tripper, the head counsellor at a low-end summer camp. When an 11-year-old boy suffering from depression accidently causes his team to lose a soccer game and becomes an outcast, Murray takes him under his wing.
- Little Darlings (1980): Starring Tatum O’Neal and Kristy McNichol, the plot of Little Darlings follows a group of teenaged girls at a summer camp who start a contest to see who will lose their virginity first. Much hilarity ensues and that’s about all I’m going to say about that. Look for a young Cynthia Nixon from Sex and the City.
- Wet Hot American Summer (2001): This box-office flop has since become a cult classic, partially for its early 80’s soundtrack, but also for its cast, many which have since moved onto much bigger and better things. Look for Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks.
- The Parent Trap (1961 and 1998): The original movie starred Haley Mills playing identical twins, separated at an early age by their parents’ divorce, who reunite accidently at summer camp. The movie follows the twin teens as they work to reunite their parents — at one point switching places at home with a plan to disrupt their mom and dad’s current relationships. The movie was remade in 1998 to star Lindsay Lohan.
- Band Camp (2005): When a teenaged boy gets “sentenced” to Band Camp after a high school prank goes seriously wrong, he plans to make the best of it by dreaming up outrageous pranks. Throw in some blossoming romance and you have Band Camp.
- Sleepaway Camp (1983 Rated R): The plot to this horror movie is too grisly to go into much detail here, but it’s included on this list because of its cult following.
- Ernest Goes to Camp (1987): Ernest P. Worrell, played by the late comedian Jim Varney, was a fictional character who first appeared in a series of TV commercials and later in a TV series and feature films. In Ernest Goes to Camp, the awkward Ernest is put in charge of a group of law-breaking youth sent to camp to serve out their sentences. The characters all come together when a rich land developer threatens the camp.
- SpaceCamp (1986): A group of teenagers with little in common are forced into the same shuttle group at space camp and things go from bad to worse when they accidently blast off. The teens learn they need to work together if they want to get back to Earth safely.
- Addams Family Values (1993): When a new baby joins the goth-centric Addams Family, daughter Wednesday and son Pugsley are shipped off to summer camp to prevent their growing sibling rivalry from escalating into fratricide. The new baby’s nanny is also a suspected gold digger and the family must fight to save Uncle Fester.
- Dirty Dancing (1987): This coming-of-age romantic comedy has become a cult classic spanning generations of fans who’ve fallen in love with not only stars Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, but also the iconic soundtrack featuring “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.”
